Lateral Line Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Late last fall, I was fishing at a rocky drop off from shore and had my jig followed by a very large cat. It was at my feet, so I saw it clearly. I absolutely would not have landed this fish with the tackle I was using.... So, how do you fish these? This thing looks like it could dump the spool on most freshie tackle. This fish would make my old bluefish tackle sweat. I'm thinking these would put up a fight with the size and girth..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoneCoastal Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 I’ve landed and lost more than my far share of large blue cats and flat heads as bycatch. A stout think 1M style plugging rod will get the job done but some of these beast will still get down in the rocks and bust you off. Once they get over 40 lbs they are quite tough to land unless you are running 50lb tackle. If I was going to target them I would use a heavy 11-12 foot heaver style equipment and a minimum of 40lb braid. Also these fish have tough mouths so don’t be afraid to really put the screws to them especially early on to get them up away from structure. They do provide a nice workout especially if you are shore based with some current. Good luck ! Lateral Line and Big Will 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoonplugger1 Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 There are catfish specific tackle websites and youtube vids on the gear that can set you up for not a lot of money. Lateral Line 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nchit Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Throw big sluggos on jigheads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lateral Line Posted March 22 Author Report Share Posted March 22 1 hour ago, nchit said: Throw big sluggos on jigheads Yes, with scent. This fish followed a twister tail on a 1/4 oz jig head. I've caught whatever kind cats at about 4 lbs on rubber. let it sit and sometimes they pick it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ahab Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Live bait and striper gear! We use bluegills, perch or big creek clubs on a three way or ff rig. Good fun! Lateral Line 1 I fish fine look stupid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poopdeck Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 while I’m not a cat fishermen Per se, I do enjoy a couple catfish/carp outings both on my boat and from the bank each year. I find it relaxing and enjoyable. Forget throwing rubber and plugs and what not. If you want to catch big catfish more often then not you have to use live bait or fresh bait. If you’re after flatheads then live blue gills, white perch, suckers or bullheads are my bait of choice. For Channel cats I use chicken livers, cut bait and blue berry bagels. The fresher the better. The myth that catfish bait has to be stinky is flat out wrong. The big ones like their meals fresh. The little ones will eat the stinky stuff. My local largest channels run around 15 lbs and our local flatheads can run upwards of 40 lbs but I’ve only caught them in the 20lb range. Don’t have blue cats where I fish so I have no clue about them. Can you catch them on lures, yep you sure can but it’s more of a fluke than the best way to fish for them. For gear I use a 7’ ugly stick with 4500 Penn slammer reels or a Penn fierce live liner. For a hundred bucks the Penn fierce is a steal for a live liner reel. I also use these rods for carp. 20lb braid. Lateral Line and willcodfish 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lateral Line Posted March 23 Author Report Share Posted March 23 13 hours ago, Captain Ahab said: Live bait and striper gear! We use bluegills, perch or big creek clubs on a three way or ff rig. Good fun! 10 hours ago, poopdeck said: while I’m not a cat fishermen Per se, I do enjoy a couple catfish/carp outings both on my boat and from the bank each year. I find it relaxing and enjoyable. Forget throwing rubber and plugs and what not. If you want to catch big catfish more often then not you have to use live bait or fresh bait. If you’re after flatheads then live blue gills, white perch, suckers or bullheads are my bait of choice. For Channel cats I use chicken livers, cut bait and blue berry bagels. The fresher the better. The myth that catfish bait has to be stinky is flat out wrong. The big ones like their meals fresh. The little ones will eat the stinky stuff. My local largest channels run around 15 lbs and our local flatheads can run upwards of 40 lbs but I’ve only caught them in the 20lb range. Don’t have blue cats where I fish so I have no clue about them. Can you catch them on lures, yep you sure can but it’s more of a fluke than the best way to fish for them. For gear I use a 7’ ugly stick with 4500 Penn slammer reels or a Penn fierce live liner. For a hundred bucks the Penn fierce is a steal for a live liner reel. I also use these rods for carp. 20lb braid. OK, great. I have the tackle. Makes sense, live and fresh bait. I got a follow because of the scent and movement of the jig. This fish clearly did not hit, but followed to the surface. Darn thing was huge. This spot would call for a FF rig - just like a surf rig. The live bait gathering is easy. I like this! I would guess they're not very line shy, so heavy leader.... This is a boat spot also, so 3 way for that fishing. I could see this being a good and relaxing dead stick activity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripernut1 Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 I don't target them, but the last big one I landed was over 9lb (big for MA) I got on a JitterBug at 1:30 am, an epic fight on bass gear... Lateral Line 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeK Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 9 mins ago, Stripernut1 said: I don't target them, but the last big one I landed was over 9lb (big for MA) I got on a JitterBug at 1:30 am, an epic fight on bass gear... Topwater channel cat? That's sick! D1fishr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lateral Line Posted March 23 Author Report Share Posted March 23 9 mins ago, Stripernut1 said: I don't target them, but the last big one I landed was over 9lb (big for MA) I got on a JitterBug at 1:30 am, an epic fight on bass gear... Nice ! I have a few a twister tails, as bicatch.. about 4 lbs. Good fight for sure on my walleye tackle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripernut1 Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 Quote Topwater channel cat? That's sick! We were in a canoe, the water was dirty and I could not see what it was. I knew it was not another nice smallmouth and I kept thinking it was a carp the way it was fighting. In the end, we had to beach the canoe to land it. It was a great night of fishing! I also (more often than cats), get walleyes on top water... ReeferRob and Lateral Line 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruceinva Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 This one took my chatterbait in the shallows. Lateral Line and ReeferRob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poopdeck Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 12 hours ago, Lateral Line said: 12 hours ago, Lateral Line said: I could see this being a good and relaxing dead stick activity! Exactly. Every now and then just sitting there and taking everything in is a great way to relax. Stress relief at its best. Lateral Line 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ahab Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 Big cats are apex predators not scavengers. They come into the shallows at dusk to hunt bait. Drop off and areas where there are brush piles and rip rap is where you find them. Try a live bait fish under a big float in lakes. The big channel cats will come up and your bait will go frantic before they smash it! Usually the channel and flatheads are the largest predators in the river or lake Lateral Line and TJones 2 I fish fine look stupid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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